Pauri burn victim succumbs to injuries

The young lady who was set on fire last Sunday by a man spurned by her, succumbed to her injuries during treatment in the Safdarjung hospital in Delhi on Sunday. The Uttarakhand governor Baby Rani Maurya and chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat among others, expressed grief at the demise of the young lady. Terming the demise very unfortunate, the chief minister said that all attempts were made to save the life of the victim. On the advice of doctors, she was sent to the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi for better treatment. However, despite all attempts, unfortunately she could not be saved. He said, “This is very sad for us. The government is strict in cases of crimes against women. The police officers have been directed to take strict action against anti-social elements involved in such incidents and to ensure strictest punishment under the law to them,”the chief minister stated.

It is pertinent to mention that on December 16, a young lady was set on fire by a driver in Pauri. From the Srinagar medical college hospital, she was referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh on that night. She had suffered about 60 per cent burns and was admitted in the intensive care unit of AIIMS. After a few days in AIIMS, she was shifted to Safdarjung hospital in Delhi for better treatment. However, due to the seriousness of her condition, she succumbed to her injuries despite necessary treatment being provided to her.

The incident had elicited strong reactions from the public in the state. In Pauri, where the incident took place, a protest was held soon after the crime, outside the office of the district magistrate. A crowd of angry citizens had also gathered outside the district hospital where the accused- Manoj Singh- was brought for a medical examination and demanded that he be handed over to them. The police took the accused out of the hospital from the back gate to avoid escalation of the situation.

It will be recalled that the young lady, a resident of Peepli village located in Kapolsyun Patti of Pauri district was reportedly stalked by a man when she was returning home. The accused dragged her to the roadside where he tried to sexually assault her. On resistance, he poured petrol over her and set her on fire. Due to the scene of crime being a desolate place, no one heard the cries of the victim. She was spotted lying on the roadside by a passerby who also informed the police. The girl was taken to the Pauri district hospital from where she was referred to the Srinagar medical college hospital. Due to the seriousness of her condition, she was further referred to a higher centre and brought to AIIMS Rishikesh. The police later arrested accused Manoj Singh, a resident of Gahad village and handed him over to revenue police which registered cases under section 354, 307 and 506 of Indian Penal Code (IPC). Read more posts…